Intimidation at the ballot box? Try Singapore

Despite all the political turmoil in Thailand over the years, voters here should be proud that they are more protected in terms of privacy than their Singaporean counterparts.

In Singapore, each ballot comes with a serial number, which the government claims is never used unless something goes wrong (or something to that effect). But most Singaporeans know that by “going wrong”, the authorities actually mean “voting against the government”. Thus, many voters who might otherwise oppose the government are so intimidated that they constantly vote for it instead.